Recent Lessons

• Setting the Pace

  by Daniel Hayek 6 days ago
  Alright, today we're learning about pacing and cutting! Of course making compelling videos takes practice, but by following just a few simple rules we'll cover in this lesson, you can easily set the mood you're aiming for. Controlling the number of shots and pacing them in a deliberate way is a BIG part of establishing the feel you want.
  
  In the video below by Peter John Ross, you're given a quick overview of how the length of each clip and the variety of shots together affect the feel of your video. Take a gander for a more detailed explanation with some great examples.
  
  

  

  FAST & SLOW CUTTING - Moviemaking Technique

  
  

  from Peter John Ross

  00:00

  147

  HD

  
  
  Deciding how to shoot and then to edit your video depends, to a large extent, on what you want to convey. Ask yourself what you want to evoke from your audience. Is it an intense action sequence, or a tender romantic scene where you want to emphasize the characters facial expressions and reactions? Think about what's important to show and when. Is there something that deserves emphasis like an object in a characters hands, or a subtle glance worth capturing? Think over these points carefully before you start shooting and come up with a list of the shots you need. This will help speed up your production and it's a good way to make sure you're capturing all the footage you want. Once you start editing, play around with cutting shots at varying lengths, you might be surprised how an extra moment or two can completely change the feel of scene. Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Editing

  , Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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• Who's Who on the Crew?

  by Mark 14 days ago
  Making a video can be a one person production but the more elaborate your ideas get, the more likely you'll need a crew to execute your vision. Below is a list to give you an idea of how all the work is divided up on a basic crew. Keep in mind that this focuses mostly on the on-set personnel, and even still it doesn't include every single crew member. What you'll find below are some of the most common folks you'll find on a set. The amount of people you need to help make your film vary widely from a simple duo to many hundreds of crew members.
  
  A Producer is a key coordinator for the production. They are involved in many if not all aspects of the production from start to finish. They often have a hand in the production process, creative, financial, and administrative.
  
  An Executive Producer is usually the main investor of the project.
  
  The Production Manager works alongside the executive producer and helps to prepare the budget, oversees the preparation of the production team, and various day to day production decisions.
  
  The Director is in control of all creative aspects of the film. They are the primary person responsible for the storytelling, creative decisions and acting of the film.
  
  The 1st Assistant Director is in charge of basically running the set. As an assistant to the director, they organize the crew, prepare shooting schedules and organize the entire flow of all production activity.
  
  The 2nd Assistant Director distributes documents such as scripts and call sheets to the cast and crew. They also help supervise the set with the 1st AD.
  
  The Script Supervisor's job is to keep track of what has been shot in accordance with the script including what changes has been made and how to prevent any continuity errors going forward.
  
  The person who makes the chief lighting, framing, and composition decisions is the Cinematographer, often referred to as the Director Of Photography (or DP). The director will often tell the DP what they want the shot to look like and then they will work their magic, making sure everything looks great to help achieve the director's vision. On smaller sets, the DP will often double as the camera operator. Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Behind The Scenes

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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• Screenplay Formatting

  by Derek Beck 19 days ago
  While there is no official "correct" way to format or write a script, having a formatted screenplay can really do wonders for your overall production! It can turn a disorganized group of actors, videographers, and directors into an efficient team of filmmakers. Screenplays help project your vision into the eyes of your entire film crew! Word, ya heard? After all, there comes a time when every writer/filmmaker should transition their film script from this:
  
  
  
  To this!
  
  
  
  Screenwriting is basically comprised of four simple components: Stage direction and shot headings (or Slug Lines), Action, Character names, and Dialogue. Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Behind The Scenes

  , Shooting

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

  Tweet
• Navigating the Vimeo iPhone App

  by Katie Armstrong 27 days ago
  

  The Vimeo iPhone App Tutorial

  
  

  from Vimeo Staff Plus

  00:00

  541

  HD

  Above is a tutorial video on the Vimeo iPhone app. If you'd like to review the basics of the app you can also refer to all the letters and words written below.
  
  First things first. Where can I download the app? How much does it cost?
  Head right here to get the app. It's free! If you're already a Vimeo member, you can easily sign in. If not, signing up is quick and painless! All you need is an email address to get started.
  
  My Stuff
  Once you're logged in, you'll notice the navigation tabs along the bottom of the screen, which take you to all the major parts of the app. You start off in the My Stuff tab, which has three sections at the top of the screen.
  

  • Inbox, this includes all the videos from your contacts as well as Groups and Channels you're subscribed to.
  • Watch Later, here's the queue of videos you've chosen to save for later viewing.
  • My Likes is full of the awesome videos you're already liked.

  
  Continue Reading…

  Category:

  Software

  Difficulty:

  Beginner

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